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Lynx Flies off into Retirement

A formation of Lynx helicopters made a flying visit to Wattisham Flying Station on Tuesday 16 Jan 18 to mark the end of the aircraft’s distinguished 40-year career with the British Army.

Lynx helicopters were a frequent presence in the Suffolk skies between 1993 and 2006, with both 3 and 4 Regiment Army Air Corps flying it from Wattisham and on operations in the Balkans and Iraq before both units converted to the Apache Attack Helicopter. The Lynx entered service with the Army Air Corps in 1978 and has been used to destroy tanks, evacuate casualties, gather intelligence, provide humanitarian support, rescue those in peril, wow the crowds at air shows and much more besides. It is being replaced as the Army’s battlefield utility helicopter by the Wildcat, which boasts upgraded engines and superior avionics.

To mark the Lynx’s decommissioning, the Army Air Corps flew five of the last remaining airframes from RAF Odiham in Hampshire, where they are based, on a commemorative tour around England, taking in some of the sites and locations to which the aircraft is most associated.

The aircraft dropped into Wattisham to refuel under turning rotors, before flying in formation through central London as the last leg of their tour.